About Us
Dr Robert Purssey MBBS FRANZCP is a Consultant Psychiatrist with over 16 years experience. Since 2005 Rob has trained extensively and specialised in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (“ACT” – pronounced as one word), which is the clinical application of contemporary Contextual Behavioral Science. ACT shifts from over-reliance on a reductionist biomedical model to a contextual scientific framework for understanding and treating human suffering in all its forms. Already proven in very many areas, ongoing active research worldwide is rapidly growing the scientific database.
Background
Rob successfully completed over a decade of conventional training in psychiatry in the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatry program in Victoria and Queensland, with a wealth of experience in managing a wide range of problems in diverse settings – community clinics, hospitals, homes, High Secure Units, mother and baby units and more. He worked as a Consultant Psychiatrist in general adult psychiatry at The Prince Charles Hospital and the Princess Alexandra Hospital, and was a Psychiatry Registrar in very many settings in hospitals and the community in Queensland and Victoria. Since completing conventional psychiatric training in 2004, Rob has trained extensively in the theoretical underpinnings of ACT and specialised increasingly in its clinical application in both psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy.
Values and ongoing work
Science, compassion, mindfulness, acceptance, values, and community inspire Rob’s life and work. He is a Clinical Senior Lecture in Psychiatry at the University of Queensland, actively facilitates ACT interest groups, and trains psychologists, doctors and others in learning and applying ACT as well as providing ACT based psychotherapy and psychopharmacotherapy to his patients.
Rob’s work is about helping you or your patients live a rich, full and meaningful life, while effectively handling the psychological pain that inevitably comes up along the way. ACT is not about futile attempts at overcoming pain or fighting emotions – it’s about actively embracing life and willingly feeling everything that it has to offer. Please see www.contextualpsychology.org and www.actmadesimple.com for further information.
Innovation
New treatment innovations usually take decades to make it into practice. At Mindful Psychiatry, I closely follow the newest developments in the fields of psychology, psychiatry, and psychopharmacology, and bring this knowledge to my work with patients well before many other psychiatrists do. My specialty is using the newest evidence-based treatments for a variety of psychological problems and life difficulties, and in helping to develop a new understanding of the optimal role of pharmacotherapy based on a sound behavioral approach to science. This means that the work I do is rigorously informed by independent science and is carefully based on what has been shown to work in research studies.
Ongoing Learning and Teaching
Dr Rob will also be providing workshops and training to General Practitioners, counsellors and other mental health providers. Additional information will be found on the workshop page. Dr Rob is very active in learning and training, and has recently provided talks and a workshop at the Australian Winterschool www.winterschool.info, the Queensland Gambling Forum, and presents yearly to his peers and colleagues at the Australian and New Zealand ACT Conference – see www.anzact.com